Our Rating:
4.7
Chefman 2-Qt TurboFry
Air Fryer (RJ38-2T) Review
Best Budget
Air Fryer in 2025!
Authors: Sharon L, Nicole R, Robert J, Danny N
Introduction
The Chefman 2-Quart TurboFry Air Fryer (RJ38-2T) is what we would expect for the budget air fryer category, securing its position as the best budget air fryer of 2025. This compact powerhouse is a testament to smart design and focused performance, delivering on the promise of quick, crispy, and healthier meals without the hefty footprint or cost of its larger rivals!
After using it for months in the kitchen routine, we are thoroughly convinced that for a huge number of people, this is the only air fryer they will ever need. It’s an amazing value proposition that other air fryers cannot match, making it clearly the best compact, affordable air fryer you can buy in 2025!
Design & Build Quality
The Chefman 2-Quart TurboFry Air Fryer is a testament to the philosophy that great things come in small packages, offering a design that is both aesthetically pleasing and brilliantly functional for modern living.
-
Space-Saver: The most immediate and striking feature of this air fryer is its incredibly compact footprint. In a world where kitchen countertop real estate is a fiercely contested commodity, the TurboFry is a peacemaker. Its narrow, upright profile allows it to be tucked away in a corner or stored in a small cabinet with ease, a feature we found invaluable in our own smaller kitchen setup. Its lightweight construction also makes it wonderfully portable, an ideal companion for RVs or for students to take back and forth from a dorm. It is, without exaggeration, the perfect solution for anyone who thought they didn't have room for an air fryer.
-
Modern and Minimalist Aesthetic: Beyond its small size, the design is sleek and contemporary. With a glossy finish available in several colors like black, white, and red, it's made to complement a variety of kitchen decors rather than clash with them. It avoids the bulky, utilitarian look of many larger appliances, instead presenting a refined form that looks great sitting on the counter. The focus is on clean lines and an uncluttered appearance, reinforcing its modern appeal.
-
Smart Basket Geometry: A subtle but brilliant design choice is the square-shaped cooking basket. While many competitors opt for round baskets, Chefman's square design strategically maximizes the usable cooking area within its 2-quart capacity. This allows for a more efficient arrangement of food, whether you're lining up chicken tenders or spreading out fries. It’s a thoughtful optimization that lets you cook more at once, proving that the designers were focused on real-world usability, not just capacity numbers on a spec sheet.
-
Materials: To deliver such an amazing value, some strategic choices in materials were necessary. The housing is constructed from a lightweight and durable plastic, which contributes to its portability and affordability. Upon first use, we did notice a faint plastic odor, a common occurrence with many new heating appliances. However, this smell completely dissipated after the initial break-in cycles and never transferred to the food. The cool-touch rubber handle on the basket feels secure and safe, providing confident handling even when the unit is hot. It’s a build that prioritizes function and value, and with normal, careful use, it feels more than capable of handling the rigors of daily cooking.
Usability & Features
Chefman has engineered the TurboFry for absolute simplicity, stripping away confusing and unnecessary extras in favor of a streamlined, intuitive experience that makes cooking a genuine pleasure.
-
Intuitive Touchscreen: The centerpiece of the user interface is its beautiful and responsive digital touchscreen. The flat panel is incredibly easy to read and operate, with clear icons for time and temperature. There are no cluttered menus or an overwhelming array of single-food presets to navigate. You simply tap to select time or temperature and use the plus or minus buttons to set your desired values. Our hands-on experience showed that even a complete novice to air frying can master this machine in seconds. It’s a foolproof system that gives you all the control you need and nothing you don’t.
-
Essential "Shake" Reminder: One of the most celebrated features, and rightly so, is the automatic "Shake" reminder. This brilliant function triggers an audible beep halfway through the cooking cycle, prompting you to pull out the basket and give the contents a quick toss. This simple prompt is the key to achieving perfectly even, golden-brown results every single time, solving one of the most common air frying challenges. It takes the guesswork out of cooking and ensures you don't have to hover over the appliance, liberating you to focus on other tasks.
-
Foolproof Safety Mechanisms: Safety is clearly a top priority in the TurboFry’s design. The unit features a critical automatic shutoff function that powers down the heat and fan the moment the basket is removed. This not only makes it safe to check on your food but also incredibly convenient, as the timer and heat automatically resume right where they left off when you slide the basket back in. Furthermore, built-in overheat protection provides peace of mind, ensuring the appliance operates within safe temperature limits at all times.
-
Effortless Operation: The physical interaction with the appliance is buttery smooth. The basket drawer glides in and out of the main unit with a satisfying ease that allows for one-handed operation. This is a small but significant detail that you come to appreciate when you're busy in the kitchen. There’s no sticking, jamming, or wrestling required—just a simple, fluid motion that makes using the TurboFry feel effortless.
Performance
While some appliances chase technical perfection on paper, the Chefman TurboFry focuses on delivering outstanding real-world results where it counts most, making it a stellar performer for everyday cooking.
-
Getting Comfortable With It: For its intended purpose the TurboFry’s performance is fantastic. When we tested the air fryer, there were very minor deviations in temperature accuracy. However, after using it for a few days we got more comfortable with it's power and made sure to use a food thermometer for thicker pieces of meats and monitor it when we wanted extra crispy food (this little air fryer can pack a punch and burn your french fries if you're first getting used to it). In the end the air fryer does what it does best, from perfectly crispy French fries and crunchy chicken wings to reheating leftover pizza to a state that rivals a fresh slice, resulting in delicious & crispy food.
-
Quietness: A standout feature that we immediately fell in love with during our testing is its whisper-quiet operation. Many air fryers, especially larger models, can generate a significant amount of fan noise that fills the kitchen. The TurboFry, by contrast, operates with a gentle hum that is so quiet you can easily carry on a conversation or watch TV in the same room without being disturbed. This quiet performance makes the entire cooking experience more pleasant and less intrusive.
-
Rapid and Efficient Cooking: Powered by its high-speed convection system, this little machine cooks incredibly fast. It circulates superheated air to cook food quickly and evenly, often in a fraction of the time it would take in a conventional oven. This speed is a huge advantage for busy weeknights or when you need a quick snack. The included crisper rack does an excellent job of elevating food, allowing air to circulate underneath for all-over crispness and letting excess fat drip away for healthier results.
-
Consistency: Where this air fryer truly shines is with forgiving foods. It's an absolute champion when it comes to frozen appetizers, chicken tenders, vegetables, and more. It may not be the ideal tool for a delicate salmon filet requiring surgical temperature precision, but for the vast majority of air frying tasks, it delivers a consistent, crispy, and satisfying outcome. It turns simple ingredients into delightful meals with minimal effort, which is the ultimate promise of a great budget appliance.
Cleaning and Maintenance
Chefman has ensured that the convenience of the TurboFry extends beyond cooking, with a design that makes cleanup remarkably simple and fast.
-
Dishwasher-Safe: The nonstick cooking basket and the internal crisper rack are both top-rack dishwasher-safe, which is a massive win for easy cleanup. After a meal, you can simply place them in the dishwasher and forget about them. This feature alone removes one of the biggest deterrents to daily appliance use and reinforces the TurboFry's position as a truly convenient kitchen tool.
-
Easy Manual Cleaning: We found that even when washing by hand, the process is a breeze. The nonstick coating is highly effective, allowing food residue to be wiped away with minimal effort using a soft sponge and soapy water. There are no complex parts or hard-to-reach crevices to worry about. The streamlined interior of the basket makes cleaning a quick, painless task that takes mere moments.
-
Maintaining the Nonstick Surface: To ensure the longevity of the excellent nonstick coating, it's advisable to avoid using abrasive metal utensils or harsh scouring pads. Sticking to silicone or wooden utensils and soft sponges for cleaning will preserve the integrity of the surface, guaranteeing easy food release and simple cleanup for years to come. This simple care step ensures the appliance continues to deliver on its promise of convenience.
Conclusion: Best Budget Pick!
The Chefman 2-Quart TurboFry Air Fryer is a triumph of focused design and incredible value. It doesn't try to be everything to everyone. Instead, it hones in on a specific set of needs: compact size, ultimate simplicity, and fantastic results for everyday foods, and executes them to a level that is perfect for most people!
The combination of its supreme space-saving design, its ridiculously intuitive digital controls, its surprisingly quiet operation, and its ability to consistently churn out delicious, crispy food makes it an indispensable tool for the modern kitchen!
While it makes intelligent trade-offs to achieve its accessible price point, the core user experience is not compromised at all. It delivers on every one of its promises, making air frying accessible, enjoyable, and effortless. For its target audience of students, singles, and anyone with a small kitchen, the Chefman TurboFry is the definitive choice for the best budget air fryer for 2025! 🎉